Matthew 27:62-64
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What’s striking here is the religious leaders' blatant hypocrisy. Even though it's the Sabbath, a day for rest and devotion, they’re busy with secular matters, enlisting Roman guards and sealing tombs, revealing how their rigid rules served their agendas more than God. This shows their intense fear of Jesus' prophecy coming true, driving them to actions that directly violated their own sacred laws.
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The day after Jesus was crucified and buried, his enemies, the chief priests and Pharisees, worried that his followers might steal the body and claim he had risen from the dead. Gathering their resolve on the Sabbath, they approached Pilate, the Roman governor, asking him to secure the tomb to prevent any such deception.
The chief priests and Pharisees are actively plotting, not in prayer or rest, but on the very day after the 'day of preparation.' What does this tell us about their hearts?
The phrase 'the next day, that followed the day of Preparation' points to the Sabbath day itself. The 'day of preparation' was Friday, the day Jesus was crucified, when everything was made ready for the Sabbath. So, this passage finds the religious leaders busy with earthly matters – strategizing and petitioning Pilate – on the holy Sabbath.
A Hypocritical Hustle
Why did the chief priests and Pharisees go to Pilate, the Roman governor, instead of handling this themselves? What does Pilate's response reveal?
The request of the chief priests and Pharisees to Pilate underscores a few crucial points:
Shifting Responsibility
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They wanted to prevent a lie from being told, but their actions created the ultimate proof. How did their scheme backfire so spectacularly?
The ultimate irony in this scene is how the enemies of Jesus, in their desperate attempt to thwart His claims, inadvertently set the stage for the most powerful evidence of His resurrection.
Proof by Prevention
Understand the original words
paraskeuē · Greek Noun
Refers to Friday, the day before the Sabbath, when Jews made necessary preparations for the holy day, including the removal of bodies from crosses to avoid ritual impurity on the Sabbath.
archiereus · Greek Noun
The ruling religious body of the Jews; they held significant authority in religious matters and were often the primary antagonists to Jesus' ministry.
Pharisaios · Greek Noun
A Jewish sect known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and oral traditions; they were often characterized by their legalism and opposition to Jesus.
planos · Greek Noun
A person who practices deception or claims to be something they are not; here used pejoratively by the authorities to delegitimize Jesus' claims.
egeirō · Greek Verb
A central tenet of the Christian faith, signifying the historical and bodily return to life of Jesus Christ following his death by crucifixion, validating his divinity and redemptive work.
asphalizō · Greek Verb
A state of being protected from intrusion, destruction, or interference; in this context, it refers to the physical efforts to ensure the tomb remains sealed.
mathētēs · Greek Noun
Followers or students of a master; in the NT, it specifically refers to those who adhered to the teachings of Jesus and became the witnesses of his life, death, and resurrection.
nekros · Greek Adjective
The state of physical existence having ceased; in the NT, Jesus conquers this state through his resurrection, demonstrating his authority over the final enemy of humanity.
planē · Greek Noun
Intentional deception or trickery; here, the leaders fear that the proclamation of the resurrection will be perceived as a deceitful narrative created by the disciples.
The leaders' intense fear and immediate action on the Sabbath highlight their desperation to suppress any sign of Jesus' claims, ironically setting the stage for irrefutable proof of his resurrection.
c. AD 30, Nisan 14— this verse
Day of Preparation and Passover Feast Begins
Jesus is crucified on the day known as the 'Day of Preparation' (paraskeuē), which immediately precedes the Sabbath and also marks the start of the Passover feast. This day involved intensive preparations for the upcoming holy days.
c. AD 30, Nisan 14 (after sunset)
Sabbath and First Day of Unleavened Bread Begins
As the Jewish day ends at sunset, the Sabbath (Saturday) and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread commence. The body of Jesus is laid in the tomb before this time.
c. AD 30, Nisan 15 (Sabbath)
Chief Priests and Pharisees Approach Pilate
On the Sabbath itself, the religious leaders, despite the holy day, gather before Pilate. They express concern that Jesus' followers might steal the body and falsely claim resurrection.
c. AD 30, Nisan 15 (Sabbath)
Pilate Grants Permission for a Guard
Pilate, likely weary of the Jewish leaders' constant anxieties, gives them leave to secure Jesus' tomb as they see fit, granting them Roman soldiers.
c. AD 30, Nisan 15 (Sabbath)
The Tomb is Secured
The chief priests and Pharisees take Roman soldiers to the tomb, seal the stone, and set a guard. Their actions, ironically, ensure undeniable proof of the resurrection.
This passage describes a similar precaution of sealing a tomb to prevent tampering, drawing a direct parallel to the sealing of Jesus' tomb described in Matthew 27:66.
John 19:14This verse also refers to the 'day of preparation' (paraskeuē) for the Passover, reinforcing the specific timing and religious context of the events in Matthew 27.
This verse contrasts the enemies' activity with the disciples' respectful rest on the Sabbath, highlighting the irony of the chief priests and Pharisees working on a holy day.
This passage describes the chief priests and Pharisees bribing the guards to spread a false story, demonstrating the lengths they would go to discredit Jesus' resurrection, which was the very thing they feared in Matthew 27:62.
gillMatthew 27:62: "Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,"
Now the next day that followed the day of preparation,.... Which was the sabbath day; for the day of preparation was the day before the sabbath, Mark 15:42 , in which they prepared every thing necessary for the sabbath, and therefore was so called: and as this introduces the account of the chief priests and Pharisees, making application to Pilate, to secure the…
meyerMatthew 27:62: "Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,"
Matthew 27:62 Ἥτις ἐστὶ μετὰ τὴν παρασκ .] which follows the day of preparation , i.e. on Saturday . For παρασκεύη is used to designate the day that immediately precedes the Sabbath (as in the present instance) or any of the feast days. Comp. on John 19:14 . According to the Synoptists, the παρασκεύη of the Sabbath happened to coincide this year with the first…
What’s striking here is the religious leaders' blatant hypocrisy. Even though it's the Sabbath, a day for rest and devotion, they’re busy with secular matters, enlisting Roman guards and sealing tombs, revealing how their rigid rules served their agendas more than God. This shows their intense fear of Jesus' prophecy coming true, driving them to actions that directly violated their own sacred laws.
The day after Jesus was crucified and buried, his enemies, the chief priests and Pharisees, worried that his followers might steal the body and claim he had risen from the dead. Gathering their resolve on the Sabbath, they approached Pilate, the Roman governor, asking him to secure the tomb to prevent any such deception.
The day after Jesus was crucified and buried, his enemies, the chief priests and Pharisees, worried that his followers might steal the body and claim he had risen from the dead. Gathering their resolve on the Sabbath, they approached Pilate, the Roman governor, asking him to secure the tomb to prevent any such deception.
"The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order t…" — What’s striking here is the religious leaders' blatant hypocrisy. Even though it's the Sabbath, a day for rest and devotion, they’re busy with secular matters, enlisting Roman guards and sealing tomb…
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Last reviewed October 2026
